Concordia 5, Yellowjackets 2
MOORHEAD, Minn.: Saturday afternoon the Yellowjacket men's hockey team played well. Well enough to win, in fact. For long stretches the Yellowjackets carried the play, and at times dominated Concordia College. Except for one line.
Heading into the game the top line for the Cobbers accounted for seven of the team's nine goals scored, and that trend continued Saturday. The trio of Tyler Bossert, Aaron Herdt, and Mario Bianchi tallied four times as the Cobbers defeated the Yellowjackets 5-2 at the Moorhead Sports Center.
The Cobbers started the scoring early. Just 12 seconds into the game Bossert went forward with a faceoff in the offensive zone and Herdt stepped past his check and flipped the puck past Yellowjacket goaltender
Cole Skinner (Lunenberg, Nova Scotia/Parkview Education Centre) to make it 1-0.
Later in the period the Yellowjackets drew even.
Artur Terchiyev (Kiev, Ukraine/Everst Academy) moved the puck to
Troy York (Plano, Texas/West) in the left circle, and the Yellowjackets' top scorer made no mistake, wiring a shot over the Concordia goaltender's shoulder on the short side to tie the game 1-1 at 10:54 of the first. It was the fourth goal of the year for York.
The second period was all Yellowjackets, except on the scoreboard. The 'Jackets held a 17-3 advantage in shots on goal but came up empty. Concordia, meanwhile, scored on one of theirs. A neutral zone turnover saw the puck get to Bossert on the right wall and he slid a pass to Bianchi in the right circle, whose shot eluded Skinner to make it 2-1.
It stayed that way into the third period, and so did the Yellowjacket domination. They continued to carry the play and put shots on goal, but also continued to come up empty. With two players in the penalty box the Cobbers scored the eventual game-winner. And again it was the top line, as Bianchi scored from the slot at 3:19 to make it 3-1.
The Yellowjackets pulled back to within one at 7:25.
Pavel Mikhasenok (Yekaterinburg, Russia/Everest Academy) started the play, firing a shot from the right circle that was blocked, but the carom landed right on the stick of
Andrew Durham (Richardson, Texas/Plano East) and he buried his first of the year to make it 3-2.
A few minutes later the Yellowjackets got a break, as officials assessed a major penalty to the Cobbers, giving them a five minute power play. But it was the Cobbers who got on the board. Bossert picked up the goal, finishing a breakaway with a shot that beat Skinner low for his first of the year at 12:06. The final nail in the coffin came when Beau Wilmer scored at 16:43 to make the final score 5-2.
The Yellowjackets outshot Concordia 34-22. Skinner finished the day with 17 saves.
Up Next: The Yellowjackets (1-2-1, 0-0-0 W.I.A.C.) come back home and stay in non-conference play when they host Gustavus Adolphus Friday, November 9. Game time from Wessman Arena is set for 7:05 p.m. and the action can be heard live on 91.3 FM KUWS beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 p.m. The game can be watched live through the
iFan Sports Network.
